because STYLE matters!

its kind of "old" news, i climbed that boulder back in 2009 but i just recently got the chance to get some pics from "natural" collateral in chironico. it's the well known dave graham boulder "collateral" BUT without using the chipped-crux-hold. many thanx to angela for the pics and all the best for her recovery, she just had surgery on her knee, acl-rupture :(

so here is the story and the pics from the "fa" of "natural"- collateral:

years back in chironico: i still see dave (graham) in front of me; angry, getting all crazy and talking about somebody just "killed" (CHIPPED) "collateral" - one of his new high-end-problems and making it seriously easier (from 8B+ to 8A+ according to dave). inspecting the "collateral damage" i thought that there may woud be a way to climb that beauty without the chipped hold (today used as the "crux crimp"). but back then i was still far away from the power and the tricky beta required to do so.



after the crux, but still powerfull. pic by angela wagner


over the years i tried with some friends to find a way to skip the chipped hold. we got some "near-beta" but nothing worked out properly. one day a friend called me and he was pretty excited as they found some crazy double-heel-hook beta to skip the chipped crimp. days later he showed me the beta. i was close, but i coud not really do the move. but it was amazing to see that there was a way, even a VERY nice way to skip the chipped hold.



the little white hold in between my two hands is the "chipped crimp" which you just dont need if youre creative enough. pic by angela wagner



after climbing the "dagger" in cresciano (2009) i felt in pretty good "compression-shape" and was wondering if i finally was able to do the crux-moves in "natural"-collateral. and somehow the moves suddenly worked. but they never stopped to feel weird and it was still a hard way to go. despite feeling in good shape i went down over days on the very last hard move. with the chipped hold i woud have climbed it in a few days, but to climb it that way was just not the point. finally i was able to climb into the last moves totally fresh and doing so the "fa" of  "collateral" without chipped crux-hold. consequently adding a "natural" to the "collateral" (aka "natural beauty", because it climbs sooooo gooood without that chipped hold).

climbing "my" beta felt like climbing in the 8B/8B+ -range. but may there is even better/easier beta. and as it is so cool and "sexy" to downgrade everything these days, i will do that by myself. as i am much stronger then last year and as i want to express that and as i want to be "REALLY" brave, hummer, cool AND sexy i say: its a (soft) 2Ka+s-L ;)

on the last moves of the beautiful "natural" collateral ("FA"). chironico. pic by angela wagner.

few weeks ago "natural" collateral got its second ascent by visting, super strong and very kind dai koyamada . it was very nice and inspiring to watch him finding his own, crazy beta. because he is not amongst the tallest (1.65) he had to figure out completely diffrent beta. i think we did not climb one of the 5 crux-moves in the same way. it looked like a totally diffrent boulder. and thats great! i like it so much if it is not JUST about power, not JUST about reach. i like it when it is also about creativity. and if you are smart enough there is very often a chance to find your own way (especially if there is a chipped hold)!
"discovering style is one of the last great things in climbing..." and  "...it's very creative and it's a bit more then just a physical activity..." (fred nicole in "core" ). nothing to add from my side.